Splashing in the Deep End

Adventures Raising Boys

(Parenting Non-Fiction)

Life with small kids is not easy, but it just might be the best thing out there. If you’ve ever wondered whether you should laugh or cry at the end of a long day, you’re not alone. Steven K. Smith, children’s fiction author, husband, and dad to three boys, recounts in equal parts humor and sentiment the adventures of raising young children. Parents will quickly relate to the tell tale signs of life with kids like surviving the dreaded family car trip down the interstate, lightsaber battles, middle of the night diaper changes, demanding only striped pajamas, or boycotting tomatoes at the Mexican restaurant.

Available in Kindle and Paperback versions

Excerpts:

“The hardest part of raising our three little boys is the exhaustion. We weren’t prepared for that in the beginning. Now we’re prepared, but just not handling it well.”

“Sometimes being a parent is like a heavyweight fight—you keep moving with the punches and try to stay on your feet, waiting for that bell to ring so you can take a few breaths before the next round.”

“The room was pitch black, and as I opened his diaper, I couldn’t distinguish stink from pink. I felt like I was in a dark foreign land and had never changed a diaper in my life.”

“Traveling with children is not fun. Ever. Even the quiet times when games and movies are playing is only masking the pain bubbling just beneath the surface.”

“Sitting little boys around a table full of china is like dropping your husband in the middle of a Victoria’s Secret store. There’s a lot to look at but little you can touch without being yelled at.”

“For all the frustrating times, there’s that moment when he’ll shuffle over when I’m not expecting it. He’ll look up at me with big blue eyes, wrap his arms tightly around my neck, and with a groan in his voice from the strength of his hug whisper, “Daddy, I just really love you.” And suddenly it’s not so bad.”

“The major downside to car seats is the inability for the kids to pick anything up off the floor. Because they drop things. Constantly. Usually to that one unreachable place, despite my Plasticman-like attempts from the driver’s seat. Those dangerous maneuvers alone probably negate any safety advantages to the kids being strapped down in the first place. I’m seriously considering getting rid of the car seats completely.”